Ultrashortwave radiation promotes the recovery of spinal cord injury by inhibiting inflammation via suppression of the MK2/TNF‑α pathway

This study investigates the potential of ultrashortwave (USW) radiation in treating spinal cord injury (SCI) by targeting inflammation. It focuses on the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) and its involvement in inflammation following SCI. The research found that USW radiation inhibits the expression of MK2 and reduces inflammation, leading to improved functional recovery after SCI. This suggests that USW radiation could be a potential therapeutic approach for SCI by modulating the MK2/TNF-α/IL-1β pathway. The study used both in vitro (H2O2-treated astrocyte SCI cell models) and in vivo (SCI rat model) experiments to demonstrate that USW radiation can mitigate the inflammatory response and promote SCI repair by suppressing MK2.

• 1
  MK2 and TNF‑α/IL‑1β were found to be elevated in patients with SCI and in H2O2‑treated C8‑D1A cells, indicating their involvement in the inflammatory response following SCI.
• 2
  USW radiation was shown to inhibit the expression of MK2/TNF‑α/IL‑1β and suppress the apoptosis of H2O2‑treated C8‑D1A cells, suggesting a protective effect against SCI at the cellular level.
• 3
  Overexpression of MK2 reversed the protective effect of USW on C8‑D1A cells, confirming that USW achieves its function via regulation of the MK2/TNF‑α/IL‑1β pathway.